Cloth and thread
by GagaforDADA
Summary: Don't have a summary prepared yet. Have fun with the story It's rated M mainly for the language i might use. However, depending on how the story goes some of the entry's might end up being somewhat smutty. we'll see..
1. Mind and Memoire - Marie Catherine Élisa

**Update - 27 July 2017: After an insanely long hiatus, I decided to continue with this series. One of the reasons I had stopped was mainly because of being 1. Stuck (where should the story go etc.) and just plain busy. However, when re-reading the story thus far I noticed a few things that I wanted to correct. Therefore, the relaunch/revamping of this story shall commence with a "cleaning up" of all the existing written content.**

 **Greetings, "The Mind and memoire" sections are the chapters that showcase different points of view and will (generally) take place in the past. If you are ever confused on whose point of view it is, look at the tittle. The name of the character will always be in there, pointing out whose POV. it is.**

 **Owh Btw, unless it's one my OC's, I have no right to any of the characters.**

 **Have fun!**

My family was specialised in fabrics, specifically European ones. So, to ensure our future prowess, it only made sense to arrange a marriage where I would marry the son of our long lasting partners from the east. The Noguchi family had a son my age and thus he would become my husband. I was highly reluctant in the beginning and apparently, he was as well. However, upon our parents' requests, we did meet a couple of times and I became interested.

He was caring, intelligent, wise and funny. Besides that, was his physical appearance. He was especially easy on the eyes and had an overabundance of charisma. He must have thought the same, because we ended up accepting the proposal our parents had given us.

5 years later, we were the world leaders in fabrics: bridal fabrics, Luxury silks, metallic, leather, European lace, velvet, Armenian needle lace, dazzle, Egyptian cotton, linen, habutai… You name it and we sold the highest quality of it.

But, even with all that success there's one thing that lacked. We seemed to be unable produce an heir yet, it sure wasn't because of a lack of trying that's for sure. By then there were tensions between the families because of it. Luckily, my husband Masaru stood by me just as I stood by him. Ultimately, we decided we would adopt, much against the liking of most of our relatives the exceptions being our closest friends and my niece.

We had been checking out different orphanages until we stopped by an orphanage on our trip in Armenia. There we saw a small child; she wasn't a year old yet. The orphanage told us a young Armenian woman and a western man of the same age dropped the baby off. Apparently neither of their families agreed with their relationship, and being unable to provide for themselves much less a baby, they decided to give the child up. Upon hearing the story Masaru gently stroked the small child's face. She responded by opening her eyes and staring at us with her big hazel orbs and letting out a little chuckle.

I don't think allot of words were exchanged between us back then, we both knew he had found our child, our daughter.

Originally the good news was met with allot of resistance. Not only had we chosen to adopt but we also chose to adopt a daughter. "She could never be the head of a company; marriage is all she'll be good for" were the arguments against her. It was then that Masaru proved me that I was right to marry and chose him. He silenced these stupid remarks immediately claiming, "Any child under his and my care would become nothing less than a force to be reckoned with, whichever road the child may choose to take and regardless of their gender."

Soon all the commotion had calmed down and we were able could to focus on the most important thing: Noguchi Taguhi, our daughter.

They were glorious days, we would split our time between France and Japan. While in France she would play with my niece's son, Tamaki. Sadly, in Japan she had little friends to speak of. Therefore, we took her along whenever we would venture on a business trip. We wanted to spend as much time as we could in her presence. We also had to bask in the possibility of doing so… Far too soon she was going to get to an age where she will be eligible for kinder garden. When that would happen surely, between our work and school, we would have less time to spend with her.

Right before Taguhi went to kinder garden, Masaru started a conversation with me on when and how we should tell her about her origins. In other words: how and when will we tell her she's adopted. I was of the firm belief that we should wait until she was at least 18, being mature and responsible enough to understand everything. I also believed this would disturb her the least. Masaru agreed with my train of thought but not with my conclusion. He thought it would be better to tell her as soon as possible. It was clear to anyone who can see that she wasn't "his" daughter. It would only be a matter of time before she will come to a point and notice it as well. He felt that, by telling her as soon as possible, we would spare her from the doubts and sadness that she might receive because of being adopted.

"The world can be cruel and sadly, there's no shortage of people in the world that will not hesitate to point out that she's not my biological daughter" he remarked. He continued by saying that "we brought her up well, she will know what being a mother and a father truly is." He felt that, by keeping it from her too long, it would just result in a resentment and mistrust of us.

We never resolved this debate, not until Taguhi came home from kinder garden distraught. She ran up, crying into my arms saddened. Some brats teased her about not having a father and she didn't understand why they said that.

By then Masaru had entered the room looking rather gloom, what he didn't want to happen, happened. He had warned me. We should've come to a conclusion sooner. Now we didn't have choice. Masaru softly called her over, the look he gave me told me everything I needed to know. The look said "I will tell her".


	2. Mind and Memoire - Masaru Noguchi

My heart felt heavy as I heard the weeping of my little girl, Taguhi, from the other room. The day I hoped would never happen, did. I entered the room as I saw my lovely wife hugging the child trying to soothe her pain. Marie gave me a look that spoke volumes, she was just as distraught about it as Taguhi was. I slightly sighed, saddened by the fact that now we would have to tell her that those lowly brats were right. I would have to tell her that Marie and I were not her parents, at least not her biological ones.

I strengthened my resolve, this day had to come sooner or later. I knew someday I would have to destroy the very foundation where she had build her views of the world upon. I calmly and softly called Taguhi over. I caressed her cheek much like I did the first time I laid eyes on her. This time she wasn't a little baby anymore, neither was she chuckling at my touch. Instead, her eyes were filled with tears. I picked her up as she firmly grabbed my neck. it seemed as if she was afraid I would disappear. I was silently walking towards my office, the only sound filling up the halls where those of my sobbing little girl. I gently placed my hand on her head, hoping it will make her feel comforted. I suppose it did because her sobbing lessened.

As we entered my office I asked what was wrong. I knew full well what was wrong; someone burst her bubble prematurely. Still, there was no easy gateway to talk about this to her. I sat her down on one of my couches kneeling on the ground in front of her looking up at her tear filled face as she was trying to answer through her sobs.

She explained to me what had happened. I wished we hadn't taught her to be so poignant with words for I was not prepared for how hard her question would cut into me. "Are you not my father, Da-, Sir?"

She couldn't bring herself to call me Daddy as she normally would, not as long as she wouldn't know the truth about it. I sighed inside trying to calm my slightly bleeding heart because of that comment.

"What do you call a father, Taguhi?" was the question I threw at her. She responded with a confused look, unsure of what I meant with the question. As the break the tension, I grinned slightly: she had stopped crying and her confused look was just too adorable.

"I'll ask it differently. Taguhi, what do you think your father is supposed to do?"

Her expression went from confusion to focus as if she was trying to solve the riddle I threw at her. I waited patiently on the outside while my insides were tearing themselves up. What if she would reject me after all this ordeal? How will we move forward if she would reject me? I stopped my internal questioning as she slowly formulated her answer.

"my father should be there for me." She said with confidence. I was proud of her answer; she had answered it well. "But Taguhi what does that mean?" I asked jokingly confused.

"Are you dumb, dumb? Daddy should protect me from bad guys, make me feel happy when I'm sad, help me with my homework and tell me to go to bed when it's too late even if I don't want to. That's what daddies do!" I had to giggle a little bit, I couldn't have said it better but her slightly infuriated face was just too adorable. All of her expressions are, with the one exception of her crying face... That one just breaks my heart every time. "So if that's what a father does then what would you call me Taguhi?" … It was the moment of truth.

I felt a huge wave of relieve when I saw her jump off of the sofa into me. She tightly hugged me around my neck while quietly saying, "I knew you were my daddy". I returned the hug. A part of me immediately saddened because of the realization, I would still have to tell her that I wasn't her biological father.

I tried to explain it calmly and simply without giving her the "bird and bees talk". I think I succeeded quite well if I do say so myself.

I showed her the pictures we had taken of the trip to Armenia where we met her for the first time. I explained her all the issues we had with the family and how we wanted her more than anything in the world because she is, in Marie's and my eyes, our daughter. I don't know if she was actually listening; she was intently staring at the pictures. After a brief moment of silence she looked up at me: "I've decided, daddy"

"What have you decided, Hun?"

"I'm not a Japanese daughter but I'm gonna be the best daughter in the whole world, that'll show them!" spreading her arms wide to emphasize the word whole.

I picked her up in my arms, this silly girl. She didn't have to try to be the best daughter in the world. She already was.

*sometime later*

It had been a little over a year since I broke the news to Taguhi. Everything has more or less settled down. Except Taguhi tends to now storm into my office every time she finds out something new about Armenia. I swear, I'm becoming an expert on the country thanks to her. Today was no different… she stormed into my office screaming asking if I knew what her name meant, naturally I did, we chose it for her. However, I pretended I didn't for her sake. She was so excited, which was always a delight to see.

She diligently explained how her name would be translated to "queen". She did so by taking one of my velvet sample fabrics and wrapping it around as if it were a like royal cape. I urged her to put the fabric back, trying to contain a foolish laughter because of her antics. As she went to put them back she kept asking me more about the fabric; apparently loving the feel of it when she would touch it.

She did that often, rummage through my samples and randomly ask me a bazillion questions regarding that fabric.

It was and is still one of my most precious memories. This time though a phone call interrupted me. As I went to pick it up, I motioned Taguhi to be quiet by pressing a finger to my lips. She mimicked my move and continued happily rummaging through the samples of fabric rubbing her face against any fabric she deemed soft or nice to the touch.

I silently shook my head and put my focus on the caller. The stranger on the other end was none other than the Hitachiin family. They have been our great friends and clients since the beginning of my family's company. She had been making plans for the future of her own company and her two sons. Seeing how I had a daughter she had been extremely straightforward with the idea of setting one of them up with my sweet little Taguhi.

I was no idiot. I knew why; being connected to our family would provide them a constant resource of fabrics to use for their creations. On the other hand, in a business sense, it would benefit us as well. It would mean that they would be constant revenue for us.

That being said, I didn't like the idea of promising my daughter to anyone. Marie and I got lucky but if I'd have to give up the future of my business in order to achieve Taguhi's happiness, I would gladly do so. Therefore, the arranged marriage was not really an appealing idea. I expressed my doubts about the agreement and instead she gave me a proposition.

Her sons were heading for a retreat where they would learn more about fabric and different cuts and designs. She argued that this retreat would be a brilliant way to let the kids meet and see what may come of it. Not wanting to give an answer without talking it through with my wife, I promised I would take her proposition into consideration and would properly respond to her offer later.

I hung up with a heavy sigh and fixed my gaze upon the little girl I cared soo much for. By now, she had managed to fall asleep on the pile of fabric using them as a make shift blanket and pillow. I slightly puffed some air... out of all the fabrics in that pile she chose the Egyptian cotton and silk the use as her pillow and blanket.

I silently confessed she must really be my daughter while I picked her up and brought her to her bed.

Later that night, before going to bed, I told Marie about the business proposal, she reacted surprisingly positive towards it. Claiming that even if Taguhi wouldn't find her future partner it could be a great opportunity for her to make friends seeing how she had little to none at this current moment. With that, we had settled it. We were going to accept their offer. Taguhi was going to go to the retreat.


	3. Raise the Curtains: Prepping the show

I sighed silently while looking through the window of the jet. Only two more hours and it would be showtime. I have to put my game face on.

I only have a few goals I had to reach. First I had to re-establish my father's company's name. I had already built and thrived in Europe, most of the world followed suit so now all that was left to conquer was what my father and his family had conquered years before, the Asian market. The only difference is that this would endeavor would end up being much harder. This side of my family has never been particularly thrilled by my presence but I already have a backup plan. First stop, The Hitachiin Estate.

If everything goes smoothly, the next stop would be Ouran Academy. The thought of seeing my life long friend and cousin, Tamaki excited me. It had been far too long. Besides, the letter that I was carrying from his mother was burning a hole in my pocket.

Sara, my assistant and I continued to plan out our schedule. Most of my dads' old associates reacted positively to the idea of his company returning but showed a slight reservation about a still green-behind-the-ears-17-year-old leading that said company.

In order to convince those old timers, I will have to show them from what I'm made of. Re-establishing an old agreement my parents had made with the Hitachiin would be the first step to making my endeavor a successful one. I decided to follow Sara's advice and make a quick stop at the hotel before visiting my family' old friends; we have to make sure we're presentable of course.

We finished the finalization of our plans and I decided to take a quick nap before landing in Japan. Once we landed we entered a taxi and headed towards our hotel, finishing a few loose ends until I received a call from Yusuru Suoh. I picked up and we discussed the details of our business transaction. He wanted to bring some changes to the school's uniforms, specifically the female variant. Originally, my company only occupied themselves with fabrics and not the design of them but I realized over the years in Europe that it would be more advantageous to dip my toe in both those ventures. Besides, from what I could see from the pictures he had sent, the outfits were definitely in dire need of some renovation. I told him that I had a few sample versions of the new dresses and advised him that I should test them out by wearing them when attending the classes and courses. He was skeptical of the idea. I assured him that, working in this manner, we can receive practical information as to how the garment works in an everyday setting. Besides, this way we could easily get the girls opinion on the garments without going in for mass production and as such being able to provide maximum satisfaction to the female students in his school. Convinced by my arguments he agreed to the proposal. He then changed the subject to a more personal matter.

I heard a slight sigh when he finally asked me "How is she doing?"

I knew what he meant with "her", "her" was my mother's niece Anne-Sophie de Grantaine, Tamaki's mother. I sighed because; even good news in regards to her was, in reality, sad news. "She's doing better, the medication has made her illness stable." I heard a slight huff of relief coming for Yuzuru as I continued, "I've made preparations for her to go to Switzerland. There's a doctor there that is a specialist in regards to her illness maybe he can find a solution for it."

The conversation fell silent until he spoke again "Does my mother know about this plan of yours?"

"No, she does not. There is no need to, this has nothing to with her. Your family strictly provides for her lodging and medication. It is my choice, as head of the Noguchi family, to grant her this opportunity. It was her decision as Lady Grantaine to accept this offer. She isn't heading towards Japan and as such, she is still in agreement with the deal your dear mother force- pardon me, 'struck' with her.".

I let my voice drop with slight anger at the end of the sentence before continuing "The Suoh family has no leg to stand on or a word to say in this matter." Yuzuru was not a stupid man and understood that this was the end of this discussion. We returned the focus of the call back to the details for the dresses after that. We finished tying up the loose ends when I hung up the phone.

By then we had already arrived at the hotel and it was time to get prepared for a surprise visit to the Hitachiin's estate. I got dressed and put on a dark navy blue silk wrap dress, the darkness of the blue made the Armenian needlelace stand out that much more. The needle lace starts from the shoulders and follows along the V-neckline. It's reminisced of a shrug collar. I choose to accessorize with some pearl jewelry. Nothing to gawking of course: just some simple pearl earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. The necklace is a simple silver necklace with one pearl pendant; the pearl engraved with the letter T. It was a gift from my father many years ago. The bracelet follows the same build as the necklace just without engravings on the pearls.

I opted for a French side fishtail braid. My dark hair makes the pearl earrings and the embroidery my hair rested on jump out. Hoping to come across, elegant, mature and professional; I grabbed a pair of simple low white heels along with my father's old dark brown leather and silver document case. I ended up finishing the look with generally natural makeup with the exception of adding a small cat eye.

Sara was already waiting for me in the taxi as I got in. I used the time it took to get there to mentally prepare myself, in case I would see either one of those twins. My mind wandered to the beautiful memory of when I met originally met half of the twin duo at the retreat. I shook that memory out of my head, remembering the awful events that followed many months and years later. If it wasn't for my fathers' will they would've been my adversaries and I would've crushed them completely. However, regardless of how I might feel or might have felt about these individuals, my parent's last wish is worth more than the world to me.

We arrived at the estate and were welcomed by the butler of the house asking us why we were here. I politely responded, "I want to meet with Yuzuha Hitachiin for a personal and a professional matter".

The butler bowed his head and asked me how he should refer to me so I responded, "Tell her Noguchi Taguhi is requesting to see her ." For a second I saw the butler's eyes grow wide when I said my family's name as if remembering a name from a time long, long ago. He responded with a "very well, follow me" and he brought me to one of the luxurious living rooms that graced the Hitachiin mansion. It seemed as this room was to become my waiting room.

I didn't wait long until she came down as gracious and exquisite as I expected and remembered her to be.

She opened her arms while walking towards us "Welcome Taguhi Noguchi, oh my how you've changed. I see you've grown to be quite a view to behold."

She ended with slightly lifting up my chin. "yes, you've grown into an exquisite sight". I tried to hold back a faint blush; I swear her sons take after her. Her movements reminded me of him. I tried to push along the conversation as quickly as possible but of course, that was not going to be an option because she had noticed my blush. "Awh, aren't you just absolutely adorable, I could eat you up". I coughed trying to push through another blush before getting back to the matter at hand.

"I believe your butler explained to you the reasons for me coming here" her expression grew slightly more serious as she sat on the couch across from us. "Yes, indeed a personal and professional matter. You've got me intrigued." She mused. "I'm here to re-establish the bonds our respective families used to have business wise." I continued explaining my proposal for the business venture until she interrupted me "I have no qualms about the offer you propose. However, how does the personal matter come into play?"

I gave her a grin as I went and opened my father's old document case. "This is how..." is all I said as I put a paper on the table that was placed between us. For once her face lit up with shock and surprise as she stared at the document "the marriage agreement..." she hushed as she stared at the paper. I decided to pull the dialogue along as she was staring at the document as a deer caught in headlights "I understand this isn't really of this day and age anymore but I do feel like this would, now more than ever, be a beneficial deal for your house." She finally broke eye contact with the document and gave me a saddened look "Do you understand what you're saying right now?" was her question towards me.

"I do, I am saying that you should put one of your sons up for marriage for the better of your house." Was my response while looking at her with pure determination. This is what my parents wanted and she's gonna be the thing that might make it or break it. She let out a heavy sigh before sinking slightly into her couch "I'm sorry but I can't openly agree to this contract". I was going to have to persuade her some way before she makes my parent's last will impossible to fulfill.

My train of thought got derailed as she continued with her reasoning "My sons have grown and now have their own word and say in the matter." I could get her on that "actually, unless you want to depart with your business, they don't." she gave me a skeptic look as I marched on "Pelletier now holds 55% of your shares right, Do they not?" she stared at me wide-eyed as she connected the dots, I was Pelletier. She should've at least been suspicious when I bought the shares last year.

"Now, to be honest, I don't want to take over the company. Even though I have the legal right and power to do so. It just wouldn't be beneficial to me because, quite frankly, I don't have the same design skills as you possess. I would also be unable to profit from the prestige that your house has built over the years. Which is why I've let you freely run it even though I had shares' majority."

Her stare seemed permanently fixed on my face throughout my rambling and was unreadable. This woman had an insane poker face when she wanted to. Being unable to gauze her opinion at the moment I resumed.

" HOWEVER, if you would like that power back you can either pay those shares back or agree to the proposal. Because of the marriage, my 55% will also become his and therefore full power would return to the Hitachiin house. " Yuzuha Hitachiin, the head of the Hitachiin house and CEO of Hitachiin fashion just stared at me dumbfounded. "I'll tell you what," I said to make her regain her composure "I understand you don't want to force any of your children into a forced marriage, so give me one year. One year to see if there's not a path where this contract may have some validity. If it turns out that they still oppose the thought of it, I'll sell you the 10% of the shares for the symbolic price of 1 yen. You won't have all of them of course but it's enough the regain full stock ownership of the company."

This was was my last resort; I didn't want it to go that far. I felt like I was blackmailing them. My gut feeling got worse as she gave me a look of disdain followed by one of disappointment. She picked up the paper and scanned the document once more. She finally came to a conclusion "Fine, I agree to your idea. HOWEVER, you will have to follow the rules stippled out in this document.

" I knew what that meant. It meant I had to live in the Hitachiin household. I could live with that. It did mean I would have less control over my surroundings, which was something new to me. "I will do so starting the day after tomorrow, I'll make sure one of my people will drop off all my stuff by tomorrow and I will follow the day after" was my answer. She nodded and said "we have a deal then." as she stood up. We walked towards the entrance of the mansion, I bowed politely telling her I had other meetings I had to get to. She politely waved me off at the door of the mansion.

My first mission was a success but only because I played it dirty. However, I got the chance I wanted and that's all I would need.

 ***Back at the Hitachiin Mansion***

"It seems Masaru's daughter has taken a turn for the worst." Mr. Hitachiin said to his wife from behind the entrance door as she was waving the child off.

"Well, she's definitely their daughter, as ruthless in business ventures as they were.", Yuzuha answered her husband. "Why did you want her to stay in our mansion anyway?" the Husband asked with a questioning look to his lovely wife. "Well, isn't it obvious? She has to relearn what it's like to be surrounded by a family and having to depend on others. If there's anything I know it's that she's still that little girl from back at the retreat. She even blushed when I complimented her. " Mr. Hitachiin gave his wife a doubtful look, Not completely buying her reason for inviting the child into the mansion. "Besides," she continued as her lips formed into a Cheshire cat smile "She entered the lion's den by her own volition. It'll be fun to tease her while she's here, get back at her for how she surprised and shocked me during this meeting"

Mr. Hitachiin let out a small chuckle followed by a smile "Yup, that sounds like you alright."

 ***Back in the cab***

We went straight back to the hotel, the discussion with Yuzuha Hitachiin dragged out longer than I had originally expected so we had to hurry to arrive on time to our next stop.

When we arrived back at the hotel I immediately hopped into the shower while Sara prepared her clothes for the party. When I got out of the shower Sara and I decided on my dress.

In the end, we went with an off the shoulder, long-sleeved dress that has a slit up the left leg and a small trail. The dress itself was a dark olive green color. The fabric was slightly opaque and didn't have much shine. The sleeves were made out of French lace and had a golden hue to them. The lace came together on the front of the dress shaping the olive fabric into a heart shaped bust. The combination of the colors gave it a regal look.

This time we opted for a curly side bun, wanting to show off my shoulders as much as possible. After the stylist was done I made sure to have a few loose strands of hair, I wanted to add an edge that way. I put on a pair of simple golden stilettos and pair of long strand drop golden earrings. With the outfit being as regal and dramatic as it was I figured the makeup should follow the same path.

I redrew the cat eyes and added a deep dark matte red lipstick. The combination of the red and the olive was just delightful. I wanted to add a clutch of some sorts, in case one our supplier or clients would call but Sara assured me she would handle it for the evening. Trusting her, we ordered a limousine and left hurried; heading towards the Ouran high school. Afterall, the Host club was holding a gala we just couldn't miss for the world.


	4. Raise the Curtains: It rings a bell

We finally arrived at the academy. The butterflies in my stomach are now going 100 miles an hour. I swear I feel like I have to throw up. Sara notices my discomfort and tries to calm me down "It'll turn out fine, I mean you are Noguchi Taguhi after all. The best daughter in the world right?" Bringing me back to when I made that promise, I straightened my back as I got out of the car. Pumping myself up "let's do this" as we walked towards the doors.

"You think he'll recognize me? It's been a few years."

Sara was quick on the uptake when she responded

"Who? Tamaki or your first crush?"

Annoyed by her answer I ignored the end of her remark. "Tamaki of course... I have no hope for that other creature. Besides, he wasn't my first crush."

Sara stared at me and her look said it all. Her facial expression just screamed 'yeah right, what ever you say, girl' to me.

Ignoring her once more I just continued, "Let's just try to get Tamaki alone so I can deliver the letter." She grinned "sure thing boss" as we entered the hall.

The room was fitting of being a ballroom of a rich private school: chandeliers, marble floors, all the works.

Sara and I slowly stepped around the room scanning it in search of the blond I knew so well. After endlessly searching my ears picked up a voice that sounded familiar, it had to be him. I walked straight towards the sound and there he was, making some girl woo over him as per usual. Tamaki had grown taller than I remembered, he truly had his mother beauty. I walked towards him "Bonsoir, puis-je vous déranger un instant?"

I suppose his instincts took over as he immediately turned around "Bien su-… Taguhi?!" he blinked a few times. Surely he didn't expect me to be here. I tried to wake him from his freeze "How have you been Tamaki?"

His brain took control again as he happily hugged me "It's been far too long, You look absolutely breath-taking" as he spun me around to see the dress. He was talking quite loud for the majority of the room started staring at us and speculating what my involvement was with him. I responded to his non-question "Yes far too long, we were but children" … This way they could gather that we were childhood friends.

Tamaki proclaimed "I've got to introduce you to the family!"' as he pulled me along towards the stairs that were located at the near center of the room "The family?!" I asked. He didn't respond as he came to a halt "You guys I've got someone you have to meet."

I saw a group of people gathering towards him and the sight of two of them made my stomach drop… FFS.

"I would like you guys to meet Noguchi Taguhi, she's a relative of mine." I bowed as Tamaki presented the persons in front of me. Most of them I already knew because I had done business with their families.

"This is Honey Haninozuka" I let my eyes drop onto the eldest of the Martial arts family, I delivered some fabric to them a few weeks ago for one of their new dojos. " Tagu-chan, nice to meet you, oh and this is my bunny Usa-chan." I was surprised how child-like his voice was more than anything. I mean he's supposed to be eighteen, sure he can have a small stature and have a baby face but seriously... How did he keep his voice so high pitched?! Also, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel, being dubbed "tag" chan. Never the less, I didn't voice any of these thoughts and just slightly nodded my head towards him as Tamaki continued with the presentations.

"Oh and this is his cousin Mori Morinozuka" Dang, this dude is huge and that's coming from me with my 175cm height... without heels. I blinked a few times. Until Tamaki removed me from my thoughts.

"This is Haruhi Fujioka, the honor student of our school" ... She's a chick. I mean, she has to be, right?! Why isn't she wearing a dress? Doesn't she like them? Well, better leave it for what it is and talk about to Tamaki later. I slightly bowed "pleasure to meet you." Haruhi smiled gently… yep, she's totes a chick.

"Next we have Kyoya Ootori" The youngest son of Yoshio Ootiro didn't waste any time to make clear he knew exactly who I was "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Noguchi-san, I've heard allot about you through my father. I must say, the fabrics you delivered did not disappoint." He's way too slick for my liking but, I kept that thought on the back of my mind "My, thank you, I'm glad it's to your liking."

"Oh and then we have the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru.." My gaze fixed on the right twin. He had grown up quite nicely although I wish he hadn't. It's easier to take revenge and hate on someone you don't find attractive. He clearly didn't recognize me. Why should he though? I'm sure the terrible trick his brother and him used to pull accumulated to a good number of female victims.

"and Kaoru." He was about to say how happy he was to meet me when my glare stopped him in his tracks. I shouldn't have done that. Most of the group noticed the change of atmosphere as well. I decided that this wasn't the place to start my crusade on these guys and softened my expression while turning to Tamaki. "Tamaki, may I have this dance?"

He gave me a gentle smile and guided me towards the dance floor by my hand. As we were dancing Tamaki tried to start up a conversation. "Are you alright, Taguhi?" He was probably referring the awkward state we left the group in when I stared at Kaoru. "Sure, I'm fine" I responded hoping we wouldn't notice the faltering in my voice "I'm just a little bit tired from the jet lag that's all". He gave me a look that was slightly skeptical but that showed he wasn't going to press the matter.. at least not for now. Trying to the keep the conversation going I focussed on another matter.

"So Haruhi's a girl, right?". Tamaki froze in his step and immediately put his arms in the air frantically explaining how Haruhi was "definitely a man" and how it was rude of me "to assume Haruhi was a girl." I held back my laughter. He's always been obvious when lying. We resumed dancing again "She's really cute though isn't she?" to which Tamaki responded "oh yes, My little Haruhi is the cutest thing. Even more so when she dresses up". I smirked, I knew I could get him to accidentally spill the beans, "So she IS a girl". Looking defeated, he gave up trying to convince me of otherwise. He did, however; make me promise I would keep this secret. Quite honestly I don't even understand how this could've been considered a secret, to begin with.

Our little chat went on while we were dancing. He asked me where I was staying; I gave him the name of the hotel and told him he should visit tomorrow evening. I told him I had a gift waiting for him. He seemed curious and agreed to come over. All the while I didn't realize that the group we had left still had their gazes firmly fixed on us. Well at least the some of them had.

*While Tamaki and Taguhi were dancing*

Harihu looked up at the youngest of the Hitachiin twins, who was trying to dissect Taguhi with his eyes "What did you do to her Kaoru?"

He looked at her surprised like her question had brought him out of his concentration "I have no Idea Haruhi, I swear. I don't remember having met her before." This is where Kyoya cut in "Well surely you must have done something, maybe when you were in middle school perhaps. You three were in the same class for a few months after all. Although she was rarely in class due to her family's business trips, it's still likely something happened there." The bunch ended up staring at the twins, expecting some eureka moment from them. "Hey Hold on" Hikaru chimed "If this is about something we did in middle school then she would've glared at her both of us. She's probably just on her period or someth—Auwtch!" he was interrupted by Haruhi giving him a slight tap on the back of his head "Shut up Hikaru, that's just plain rude." Kaoru ignored the conversation as he stared at the girl "Say, Kyoya?"

"Yes, Kaoru?"

"What did Tamaki say her name was again?"

Kyoya got a shine on his glasses as he opened his little black book

"Her name is Taguhi Noguchi, She's the adopted daughter of Masaru Noguchi and Marie Catherine Elisabeth Pelletier. Because of her parent's death due to an accident she has been leading the company since the age of 12 thanks to her legal guardian and assistant Sara Badour. Her family's company is currently the Number one dealer in any kind of fabrics along with simple but elegant designer clothes…" Kyoya went on and on about all the information he had on her But Kaoru had long stopped listening.

The girl's name and that of her parents rang a bell to him. Kaoru had an idea where he might've seen her name before. He was going to have to wait until he got home to make certain of it.


	5. Raise the Curtains: Setting up the stage

The party fizzled out at a little over midnight. It was a weekday after all; tomorrow they would all be attending class. The host club stood by the exit to wave off all the guests. Taguhi Noguchi was no exception. She took her leave after gracefully saying her goodbyes to the group's different members. There was no evil glare directed at Koaru this time. Tamaki had explained earlier that it was probably due to her Jet lag. The group believed him; well most of them did anyway, with the exception of Kaoru Hitachiin. When all the guests had left it was time for the host club to 'close shop' as it were. The Twins were the first ones to leave. They said their goodbyes to everyone, except Kyoya, he had excused himself; picking up a call and they entered the car to leave.

Inside the car, the twins discussed the events that occurred at the party. Hikaru couldn't help but notice his younger brother's brooding face. "Are you still worrying about that girl that the boss knew?" Kaoru was molding over in his head how to best answer that question when his train of thought got interrupted "Just let it go, the boss said she was suffering from a major Jet lag. Besides, she didn't seem to have anything against you when we waved her off." Kaoru just nodded "Yeah, I guess you're right." as he stared outside of the car window. "Say, Hikaru, did she seem familiar to you in some way?" The younger brother asked the older one while he kept staring out of the window. "Not really, but, it would make sense if she looks familiar to you. I mean, Kyoya did say we were in the same class for a while." The younger brother decided to stop his questioning and just hummed a slight "Uhu" to show he had listened to what his brother had said. Kaoru couldn't shake the feeling that this female's arriving spelled for shit to hit the fan.

They kept the conversation light. By the time the twins arrived home, both were exhausted. They decided to grab a quick shower in their respective bathrooms and hit the hay. Hikaru thought, still worrying about his brother, asked Kaoru if he wanted to sleep together. Kaoru, while still towel drying his hair, agreed.

A few hours later Hikaru's regular soft breathing filled the room. Content with the assumption that his older brother was asleep, Kaoru slipped himself out of the bed heading towards his bedroom. He had to check something in the mini vault each of the Hitachiin family members had in their bedrooms. He entered his room and opened the vault. Inside there was a bundle of letters neatly tied together by a cord. The younger brother read the name and address of the sender and his presumptions were proved to be right. The sender carried the name "Toguhi Noguchi". For Kaoru this made things official, shit was going to hit the fan, very much so in fact.

 ***Rewind to the group as they left the party***

The twins were taking their leave when Kyoya got a call; looking at his cell phone he saw the number was private. He excused himself, as he stood farther away from the group to take the call. "Hello?" His eyes slightly widened as he recognized the voice on the other side from earlier that evening. "I have a business proposal to offer you in regards to your host club and maybe branching out, creating a bigger pool of potential new customers."… Kyoya was intrigued "Go on.." his response was followed by a chuckle from the other side "Oh, this is no matter we should discuss through the phone." The caller gave out its information to meet later that evening. The thought occurred to Kyoya that he wouldn't be going to bed so soon as he prepared to take his leave, heading towards the meeting.

Arriving at the told location, he went into the elevator heading towards the Presidential suite of the hotel. He knocked on the door and the female he identified earlier as Sara Badour opened the door and accompanied him towards a small dining-ish area in the suite. There he saw the person he heard on the phone earlier. Taguhi was still in her dress sitting on a chair beside the round dining table. There were a bunch of papers on the table next to her elbow which she had placed there to support her head that was resting on the back of her hand.

"I greatly thank you for coming on such short notice, Ootori Kyoya." Kyoya had done his research on her but didn't know much about her personality. However her sense of business was something he was well informed on through his father that said that she's, and I quote, 'someone that demands respect or you'll end up getting devoured like a Tiger devours its prey'. For her to make his father say that Kyoya would have to stay on his toes. She motioned to one of the chairs by the table "Please, have a seat." He nodded and sat down on the chair. "I'll get straight to business," she said, Kyoya just looked awaiting her explanation "I want to be a part of the host club." Kyoya gave a small smile as he stood up again "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to decline that offer. You see we are a host club of men catering to women we couldn't possibly add you to our package. Now, If you'd excuse me..." he bowed and turned around heading towards the door when she made him stop in his track "If that's the case why is Haruhi Fujioka in your line up?" Kyoya returned his attention back to the woman who hadn't moved from her spot yet "You may fool those naive little Japanese girls, but I can tell she's a girl from a mile away." Kyoya was ready to tell her he wouldn't give in to blackmail but, before he could do so, she interrupted him "Don't get me wrong, I'm not using it as a threat. I'm not really interested as to why she dresses up as a man and why you want to keep the fact that she's a woman quiet. That's not my style. I'm merely stating that I would not be the first female in your line up." Kyoya didn't reply as he kept looking at her intrigued "Besides", she said, "I wouldn't be there to attract the female customers, although I wouldn't be opposed to that, my main focus would be the male population of the school."

Taguhi assumed that, because he hadn't left by that time, he was interested in what she had to say. She used her free hand to motion towards the same chair she appointed to him earlier. He slowly made himself comfortable on the chair again and crossed his legs.

"I would not just be a female host, my focus would lie in helping those men who don't possess the same skills as the boys from the host club. In other words, I would help them how to understand women or any other question relating to relationships they might have… Also, I know I specified that it would be men mainly but naturally I would be more than happy to help a female customer with these issues aswell. "

Kyoya liked the idea of it but there was one big issue he saw "Could you tell me, Noguchi, Why they would trust your word in these matters?" Kyoya looked up at her and was met with an intense gaze. He now understood what his father had meant, even though he didn't feel like he had done anything risky, the look in her eyes just made him feel like he had walked into the trap she wanted and there was no way out. "Because I'm a good read of character. Besides, I will have credibility just because of my appearance. Even though I'm the same age as them, I don't have that cute youthful physique or face. I 'm generally defined as a mature woman and everyone knows a mature woman is well versed in matters of love and relationships."Kyoya couldn't deny the last part she said, she had a more voluptuous body that Japanese girls her age tended to be blessed with and because she had to step up and lead the company at a young age, she had a very mature vibe about her.

"I'll make the offer even better, what ever profit I might make, I don't want to receive any for it. I will also stand in for the charges that might be added because of my enrollment in your club meaning; clothes, outfits, food, drinks and the sorts. ". This is where Kyoya starting to think there might be something to it. This sounded too good.

"And what's the catch? There must be one, what do you stand to gain" he said trying to not make it sound offensive "Oh no, there's no catch, as far as what I gain it's nothing more but spending some time with my relative. Although I do have favor if you were to accept" ... "and what would be that favor?" Kyoya asked slightly skeptic "It's quite simple; you keep this a secret from Tamaki, I want to surprise him with it." After a small pause, Kyoya saw no reason to not accept the offer. He had all to gain and thus accepted the offer. When he said he accepted the proposal she put the papers that had been lying next to her elbow in front of him. "if you agree then sign the contract". It was then that he realized. This meeting had followed her script, everything was written in there; the fact that she'll be responsible for her charges, that she didn't want the payment along with the vow of silence Kyoya would have to take to not tell Tamaki anything about this agreement. Kyoya had reacted the way she expected him to. He felt like he had just been a puppet and she had been the puppet master. Making a mental note to watch out for her he read the document and signed both copies of the contract. He took one of the copies. Bowed and took his leave. She would tell Tamaki and start tomorrow.


	6. Raise the Curtains: Take a seat

Kyoya left my hotel with his copy of the contract. I sighed and decided to get to bed as soon as possible. I got out of my outfit and hopped into the shower. I needed to calm my anxiety and my nerves for tomorrow and the warm shower did me wonders. Before heading to bed Sara and I prepared one of the new sample dresses that we made to wear the next day.

Yusuru had requested to keep the colors of the dresses within yellow and white hues. Knowing that we had opted for our best sample: a pale yellow linen damask dress. We changed the original collar so that now it had a square neckline.

We added a few white details to the dress and also made the sleeves allot shorter. This was supposed to be a spring/summer version of their school wear and thus had to be fresh and cool. To complement the dress we made a dark mustard colored blazer with the school initials on it, in case it would end up being chilly. The white stockings would be optional in the spring or summer and mandatory in the autumn/winter. Because of the cut, the dress would make the wearer look like: either a cute adorable girl or a mature dignified lady, depending on their body shape. In my case it looked the later of the two, I don't think I've ever looked anything closely resembling cute in an outfit. Not that I haven't tried mind you.. but my pronounced curves just really don't allow it to happen.

We laid them all out so they would be ready for tomorrow as we went to bed.

The next day I put on the dress. I originally wanted to let my hair down but I needed to show off the dress today so I ended up going for a polished ponytail with a little bit of a twist by leaving my bangs. It would take away some of the sharpness in my face and give me a more gentle look. Putting up some light natural makeup, Sara and I headed out towards the school. I wouldn't want to be late, now would I?

Sara dropped me off and went back to the hotel. She had to see that my belongings got delivered at the Hitachiin's estate by the end of the day. I first went to the principles office where Yusuru greeted me. He was cheerful and charming as always. "Welcome Toguhi Noguchi to the Ouran Academy, I see you're wearing one of your samples. I must say you look beautiful in it. " I gently smiled "Well I hope your female students will be as raving about it as you are, sir." He returned my smile and motioned me to sit in a chair placed in front of his desk while he went back and sat on his own behind his desk.

I sat down and waited for him to talk "Seeing how you're new here you'll need someone to show you around." as he said that someone knocked on the door and entered. "This here is Haruhi Fujioka, your classmate and Ouran's honor student".. I grinned slightly; this couldn't have turned out better. "Oh yes, we met yesterday at the party. It's a pleasure to see you again and I'm sorry to trouble you with guiding me around the school." Haruhi looked a bit perplexed. "It's not a problem at all." We then left the office and Haruhi showed me around the school. "How's the jet lag treating ya?" Haruhi asked, "Pardon?" then I remembered my little white lie from the night before and rectified my slip up "Oh yes, I'm sorry I'm a little bit of an airhead. I'm just taking it all in right now. Also, I got a good night of sleep so I feel much better now. Thank you for asking Haruhi."

She smiled "Yeah, it can be a lot to take in. But aren't you used to stuff like this? I mean you are rich aren't you?" I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle "I am but, I never really went to a school, I've always had private teachers who would hold private lessons with 2 or 3 students at their house and so I've never truly experienced normal school life." The conversation quieted down a bit after that but I still heard the little rumble coming from Haruhi "There's nothing normal about the school life in this school." The tour continued and we would have a little chat here and there while she showed me around. By the end of the tour I had taken quite a liking to Haruhi, I could understand why Tamaki liked her so much.

We ended in front of a door I assumed was a classroom door when Haruhi knocked on it and entered. The teacher welcomed us and ordered Haruhi to go back to her seat. He then presented me to the class as a new student and allowed them to ask questions.

The questions were nothing out of the ordinary until one asked me "Pardon me for being rude but, why aren't you wearing the same uniform as us?" I smile gently and mentally thanked the girl for asking that question I could use that to my advantage "Well, you see our family has been put in charge to recreate the design of the female uniforms for this school. We thought it would be best to put our sample to the test by seeing your reactions. What do you think of it?" I asked her as I slightly swayed my body so the skirt would show a nice flow. The girl responded with a slight blush "you look. I mean, it looks pretty." I showed the girl my most happy facial expression "Thank you! If you have anything you would like to add to it or have any suggestions don't hesitate to tell me okay? That way we'll deliver a school uniform that everyone will treasure." She silently nodded and blushed a bright red. Man, all the girls in this school are too cute, naive and innocent it is almost sickening.

The questioning resumed for a few more minutes until the teacher decided to end it and told me where my spot in the classroom would be this year. As my (terrible) luck would have it, I would have to be seated in front of the oldest one of those wretched twins. From that point on the lesson continued. I felt a pair of eyes burning into my back. Ironically they were not those of the older brother but those of his younger one who was seated next to Haruhi.

I grew increasingly annoyed and nervous, I didn't like that I was seated in front of them. They would be able to see my every move while I couldn't see theirs without making myself obvious. After a while, I shook my head and came to the conclusion that I would have to get used to it, at least for the remainder of this year.

The lesson ended and the students all started to leave the room. Haruhi told me she'd show me where the next class was but I saw a group of girls in the corner of my eye who were clearly waiting for an opportunity to speak to me. Taking my chances I thanked Haruhi and told her I'd find it by myself and that she shouldn't keep the twins waiting on her just my sake. Asif on queue Hikaru's voice came out from near the door "Are you coming, Haruhi?".Haruhi took her leave and the group of girls walked towards me, I recognized some of them from the party yesterday. One of the girls spoke up "Hey Noguchi, could I ask you a question?"

I gently smiled "Sure." .. "Oh well it's about Tamaki Suoh, you were at the party yesterday and we couldn't help but wonder how you knew him? It seemed like you knew each other rather well". I was slightly surprised by the question, were they jealous? "Owh Tamaki is a distant relative of mine so that might explain that," I said with a gentle smile. The girls seemed relieved with my answer. I still had to find a way to the next class I tried to seize the opportunity and ask the girls "Would you mind if I walked with you, I'm still unsure of where the next class is." They agreed and on the way to class, we continued with some small talk. I wanted to pick their brains about the dresses and asked what they did after the classes.

They looked at each other as if trying to find a way to let me down gently.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to intrude." I got cut off by one of the girls; she had a slight blush gracing her face "That's not it at all! We just can't because we'll be visiting the Host club so we won't really be able to hang out." The answer was like heaven sent. "Really, well that's perfect! I start working with them today." The girl's faces looked perplexed "Noguchi, are you interested in women?" Although I didn't have a preference for either sex, I didn't feel at ease enough to tell them that. "No, no no. I'll be working there as a consultant. If you have any questions about love, relationships or just want to talk you can meet up with me and I'll try to help you to the best of my abilities." The girls' interests were piqued "Oh, but If you see Tamaki don't ask him or any of the other members anything about it. It's supposed to be a surprise that Kyoya and I have set up from them." The girls seemed ecstatic; they were 'in' on it and thus probably felt special. The remainder of the school day was quite boring and uneventful.

The bell rang indicating the end of the lesson and the girls got ready to go to the Host club I decided to join them.

When we arrived I greeted the club members with a smile and I tried to keep that smile when I greeted the twins. After I did that Kyoya gave me a look and pointed at one of sitting areas in the music room. "That one is yours, do with it what you'd like." I bowed and thanked him as I went to sit on the sofa. This interaction didn't escape Tamaki's observation when he walked up to Kyoya to ask him what he meant by that. I decided to beat Kyoya to the punch and answer him myself "Well isn't it obvious Tamaki? Say hello to the newest member of the Host club." I grinned as the whole of the Host club's (apart of Kyoya's) jaw hit the ground. This might end up being fun.


	7. I spy 1- Sneaky sneaky : Koaru Hitachiin

***Notice: the I spy chapters are going to be a lot smaller than usual; mainly because I couldn't find a better way to dissect the chapters without it being riddled with flashbacks. Anyway, have fun!***

I didn't like the idea or the thought of it. It's bad enough I figured out why her name seemed so familiar yesterday and that she'll be in our class. Now she was even going to join the Host Club. She was up to something that was certain, the question was what? I had to figure it out… All I could do for right now was pretend I didn't know her and observe her as much as possible. That was going to be difficult, she was a huge success. Most of our clients would visit us and afterward wait for their appointment with her. Seriously, how good could the advice of a 17-year-old be?!

I decided to ask Kyoya for a favor. I went up to him while we were waiting for our next client and Hikaru was busy trying to get more attention out of Haruhi. It was pretty obvious he was developing feelings for her. But I don't think he notices it himself though. "Hey, Kyoya?" Kyoya didn't stop writing in his black book while he answered "Yes Kaoru?".. I softly grabbed his shoulder and got close to his ear "I need all the information you can find on Noguchi not just what you already have. I want to know why she has decided to come back and what she could have to gain by joining the host club. I can pay you for the service." I was relieved when I saw Kyoya grin at my proposal "No need for that Kaoru, I was thinking of delving deeper in her life for myself as well, I'll send you what ever I find." By then our new clients had seated themselves at our sofa so I thanked Kyoya and went back to entertaining the customers with Hikaru.

"There's a new toy for us to play with," Hikaru said while we were in the car. The club's activity had ended and we were on our way home. "She seems less fun than Haruhi though" I responded, I didn't want Hikaru anywhere near her. That could just end in a disaster. The conversation continued but died down a bit later until Hikaru restarted another talk "What did you think of the dress she was wearing, Kaoru?" I glanced at my brother "It wasn't half bad, then again anything would be an improvement with the dresses the female students currently have". Hikaru snorted a little laugh agreeing fully with my point, that being said the dress had a nice cut and was a vast improvement of the original garment. We ended the discussion with the conclusion that it was decent enough for formal wear but was nowhere close to the designs our house puts out.

We arrived at the mansion shortly after. Upon arriving we noticed a moving truck and so we asked one of the maids what it was doing there. The only response we received was "we are preparing for the arrival of a guest". It had to be quite a guest with all they were bringing in. My phone interrupted my thoughts as it was Kyoya calling. Man he works fast. I was trying to get away from Hikaru so he wouldn't notice me talking on the phone. Luckily, our house butler called him. I picked up and Kyoya told me all the things he had been able to dig up on this new club member for the time being.


	8. I spy 2- The letter : Taguhi Noguchi

Sara came to pick me up and we headed out towards the hotel. I recollected my thoughts in the car. All and all it went well. Kyoya seemed pleased with the amount of clients that were interested in my service and I was able to make the arrangements to Tamaki would be visiting me later this evening. My mind went back to the classes and I couldn't help but furrowed my brow... If I could change anything about my school arrangements it's the seats. For a second I tried to think of a way to change seats tomorrow but I ended up accepting the fact that I would have to sit infront of those wretched twins. Sara gave me glance and guessed what I was thinking about. "You know if you're THAT annoyed about sitting in front of them then how are you going to fair living with them? Not to mention marrying one of them." I didn't say a thing to her comment but gave her a glare. I should really stop telling her everything.

"Hey don't look at me like that, all I'm saying is if you can't stand being next to them how are you going to stand being married to one of them.. Y'know the kissing and not the mention se-." I tried to cut her short before she would go into more detail "I'll manage just fine."Sara noticed my bluntness and tried to calm me down "Toguhi, please, don't be like that. All I'm saying is that neither your father or mother would want you to marry if it meant you were going to be unha-" I couldn't bear to let her finish her sentence "Sara, look, I love you and I highly value your input in all matters except for THIS one. So drop it". She gave me a look that was a mixture and sadness and frustration but didn't push the issue futher.

The rest of the car ride was fairly silent with the exception of our business affairs. We arrived at the hotel and I decided to take a bath and asked Sara to set everything up for Tamaki arrival. I prepared the bath and hopped in, hoping to hot soak would help calm my nerves. I had to be strong later this evening because, with what I was going to give to Tamaki he would most likely start to cry. We couldn't both be slobbering messes when that happens. My mind reverted back to what Sara said earlier in the car. She was right, my parents would most likely be against me marrying someone who would make me unhappy. The truth is they probably made this arrangement for me in the first place; I couldn't stop talking about that little auburn haired rascal after I came back from the retreat. They couldn't have known how everything would turn out and I doubt that I'll manage to change anything in one year. But in the end, that contract was the only thing that remained of their thoughts. If just for that reason alone I am ready to give it my all and try to make their last wish a reality. I just have to be careful, that I won't lose my heart like I did the last time.. in case it doesn't work out I will have to leave with my head held high without losing their family as a client. I decided that I should apologise later to Sara as well. I was awfully rude to her just because I couldn't stand someone bluntly telling me a probable truth. It seems I'm not as mature as I make myself out to be. I climbed out of the bath, dried myself off and got into some comfy clothing. Not too long after Tamaki arrived.

We greeted each other with a hug and went to the living room area of the hotel room. We were talking about a whole array of things until Tamaki finally asked me the question he has been wanting to ask me since he entered the hotel room "Say Toguhi, this is really fun and I love us catching up but this is not really why you called me over, right?" I took a deep breath and headed towards one of the armoires in the living room. I opened one of the drawers and took out a letter "No you're right, that's not what I called you over for" I walked back towards him and place the letter in front of him the living room table "This is what I called you over for, it's addressed to you. You should read it". He stared at the letter, recognising the handwriting on the envelope far too well. He looked up at me and back at the letter, asif he was scared to open it up and know what was written inside it. "Look Tamaki, if you want some alone time to read it Sara and I can-" "No, no. it's fine, stay." He took the letter and opened it. He was careful to not tear the envelope too much. After he read the letter the room went quiet, I didn't want to force him to talk about what she wrote and I also wanted to give him some time to digest it all. Some time passed when he finally stood up and walked towards me. He was clearly forcing a smile when thanked me for giving him the letter. I slowly brought my hand to touch his cheek "I know Anne-Sophie would always want you to see you with a smile but it's okay to cry if you miss her" He eyes widened, he obviously thought he was doing a good job of holding it in. As his eyes slowly filled with tears I couldn't stand it anymore and brought his face to my chest, hugging him as a mother would hug a child. "It's okay, you're not alone anymore. Neither is she." He finally gave in, fell to his knees and hugged me tightly around my waist sobbing and wailing like a little child would. I slowly positioned myself so I was sitting on the ground never letting go of him. He probably cried all the tears he had been wanting to let out since the start of this whole mess.

When he finally calmed down he seemed allot more at ease and took his leave a little bit later. Sara walked him out while I went to wash my face. The shock of the cold water on my skin and face did wonders to change the thoughts and emotions haunting my mind after this meeting. It was emotionally draining.

I decided to finish alittle more work for the firm when Sara entered the room "Toguhi, I know I wasn't supposed to talk about this matter anymore but anyway; All the arangements have been dealt with. The biggest part of the belongings were delivered at the Hitachiin estate and everything is prepared for your arrival tomorrow." I nodded while I was reading some files and stopped her before she left the room "Sara, I've been feeling bad for how I acted earlier… You don't deserve that, not with all you've done for not just me but our family. " She gave me a smile " I know you feel bad about it, you're such a cute softy inside afterall" finishing it off with a wink. I swear to god that women "tsch… Don't gloat it doesn't suit you" I said while hiding a slight blush. "Really?! I think it suits me just fine, besides all I said is how cute you really are when you look past the femme fatale exterior you like to boast."My eyebrow twitched slightly, always the same joke with her. She's real quick to make fun of me . "On second thought, I'm not sorry. Forget, I even said anything." She gave a faked hurt expression followed by a giggle " it's fine, I know you don't mean that." I gave a dismissive look that just intensified her giggle "Well I'm going to bed, good night Toguhi." I said the same to her, and finished the few documents I was working on. Afterwards I followed her lead and went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be an important day, I would have to get my act together… For I would start living with the Hitachiin Family on their estate.


	9. I spy 3- Unwelcome guest: Hikaru

Riding onto the estate both Kaoru and I noticed the moving truck "Hey Kaoru, do you have a clue what that is doing in front of our house?" Kaoru just stared at me and slightly shook his head. We entered the house and asked one of the maids what the meaning was of this "Owh nothing special, young sirs. We are preparing for a guest who will be staying with us for a while".. I looked back at the truck and noticed that most of it were suitcases probably filled with clothes. "Must be one of moms' overseas work partner or something, what do you think?" I turned to look at my younger brother but he didn't hear my comment. He was too busy to check his phone and see who was calling him. I was about to ask him who it was but before I could ask the house butler called me "young sir, your mother would like a word with you immediately." I nodded "Yeah, Kaoru's on the phone we'll be there in a sec-" "No Young Sir? Your mother specifically requested you."

I was little surprised as to why mom would want to talk to me alone I followed his lead towards her. Before leaving the room I noticed Kaoru picking up on the call. I'll have to ask him who it was later. We arrived at the room where mom was, her office. I knocked and entered. She was on the phone with a client, an American client from the sound of it.

She pointed towards the chair in front of her desk and motioned me to take a seat. This is weird. She usually never does this. Unless we did something wrong. I tried to remember if maybe one of our pranks could've gotten me here. If that were the case she would've asked for both of us. I patiently waited for her as she finished the call.

When she finally hung up I straightened my back a little bit feeling on edge for some reason. "Darling, Sorry you had to wait. I didn't think my girls would be home so soon." I disregarded her tick of calling my brother and I her 'girls'. "Why did you call me mom?" Her smile faded a little "It's about our visitor that'll be here tomorrow… I want to ensure that you and your brother won't be total rascals towards her." I got a little pissed "Of course we won't! we would never jeopardize the business. Besides, if that's all you wanted to say why isn't Kaoru here as well?" The ends of her lips turned up into a small smirk "Good to know you feel this way because our guest is none other than your future fiancé." I was floored.

"My fiancé?! This is the first thing I ever heard of it. You can't be serious about this. You can go ahead and call it off." Her expression suddenly grew stern "I won't Hikaru. You are going to at least meet her and she is going to stay here. But no worries, I'm not cruel, if at the end of her stay you're still completely against the idea then I'll call it off." I never could say anything against her when she gave me the look she did. "Tch, fine. How long will I have to tolerate her? And what is her Name anyway?!"Her stern expression softened up "Well I don't want to ruin the surprise and don't worry, you'll have enough time to get to know each other. She'll be staying here for a year after all." I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped the floor at her answer "A year!?" I was about to rant even more but I was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was one of her designers dropping by to talk about some new designs.

I realized I was the third wheel and so I stood up to take my leave. "Oh and one more thing Hikaru" I turned around my expression showing just how pissed and annoyed I am right now "This can not leave this household, you understand?" I clicked my tongue and mumbled a fine while I left the room. I immediately went to my room. I assumed that Kaoru will check up on me sooner or later but for now, I needed some time the think about what went down in that room.

Fiancé?! Why am I only hearing about it now? Also how out-dated is this?! They can't be serious about it. I grew more and more pissed by the second when suddenly I heard the click of my door. I turned my head and there Kaoru was. Seeing my state his expression darkened "What happened, Hikaru?" I smiled weakly "Oh, you have no idea…"


	10. I spy 4 – When shit meets fan Koaru

**F** **FIRST OFF**

 **Right, I realize I haven't been giving this story that much attention for a long while. There's no real excuse except I've been killing myself because of school and well… life in general. I am now on however on a (long needed) holiday and so I finally have some spare time to continue on with this story. I also re-read the previous chapters and will be editing those as well (editing spelling errors, titles or clarification for some of the chapters.)**

 **Once again my deepest apologies,**

 **Have fun reading! ^-^**

The moment I was sure Hikaru had gone with the butler I hurried to pick up the phone. Kyoya greeted me "Why, hello Kaoru. How are you this evening." I furrowed my brow not sure why he didn't go straight out with it… "Did you find anything about that girl?" I was answered by a small snicker from the other side of the phone "You might know more about this than I do." Confused and slightly paranoiac about our shared history about the girl I feigned ignorance and asked him what he meant by that statement.

He seemed perplexed by my response "Kaoru, don't play coy with me. I have information that tells me that she'll be staying at the Hitachin mansion for the time being."

With that comment, it clicked with me. Fuck. All this stuff being filtered into our mansion was hers. She's this guest that was going to stay over… Great. I sighed and responded to Kyoya "I'm sorry Kyoya, but this the first I've heard of this. The staff here were eminent on not knowing who the guest was."

Kyoya responding with a hum, showing he acknowledged what I told him. He continued with the other little bits of information he had been able to uncover. Nothing was really impressive or something to write home about. Sending Tamaki's mother for treatment in Switzerland does seem to be a trigger in terms of her setting everything up to go to Japan. As for what she ends to gain from being here, Kyoya was none the wiser yet. "I'll keep you posted if I uncover more information, as for now it's nothing truly remarkable, I'll try to dig more into her history maybe that will uncover more." I nodded absent minded. Her staying over could only spell disaster.

I slightly bit my bottom lip whilst trying to think about the reason and solution for her stay. Our interactions would become, to say the least, highly volatile. My thoughts got interrupted by Kyoya, asking me if I was still there.

I also didn't want Kyoya to uncover the whole ordeal that happened years ago. I doubt he ever would though. Putting at ease my own mind I just responded with "Yeah, keep me posted" and hung up.

I followed the movers to see in which room she would be residing in, As I saw the number of clothes and other items being brought to the room, I couldn't help but wonder how long she would be staying. Even for one of our stature this amount of clothes is not for 'short term stays'. I tapped one of our personal maids on the shoulder and asked her if there was only going to be one guest. She responded swiftly by saying a second room was also to be used by the guest assistant.

Figuring this was probably that Sara Bada-something, Kyoya had talked about during the party I nodded to her answer. My head was in a state of slight panic and daze with everything going on.

I figured I should tell Hikaru and thus asked the maid if my brother was still talking to our mom. She informed me that Hikaru was now residing in his room. I mumbled a slight thanks and headed towards his room.

After opening the door my fears about this girl were met when I saw Hikaru's expression. My own darkened as I asked him "What happened, Hikaru?"


End file.
